Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

On May 19, 1902, Cleveland became one of the first cities in the country to require motorists to display government-issued registration numbers on their vehicles. In 1906, the state attempted to take over auto registration under the Ward Automobile Law, but litigation delayed the program until the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the law. The Secretary of State's Automobile Division was established in 1907. The Ward Law went into effect on June 11, 1908, but the Automobile Division did not begin issuing plates for another 30 days due to a manufacturing defect. The first state vehicle registration was issued to Cincinnati resident Thomas B. Paxton, Jr., for his Franklin automobile. Locally issued and owner-provided license plates were phased out by 1909 for automobiles, Deputy registrars were political appointees until November 28, 1988, when a private request for proposal process took effect. ==See also==